


we're okay

by kangchanhee



Series: 24 days of christmas 2k18 [14]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Crying, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feelings, Happy Ending, Hugs, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan-centric, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 02:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17071586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kangchanhee/pseuds/kangchanhee
Summary: mark's been nothing but a dick to donghyuck for the last few weeks and donghyuck's not okay with that





	we're okay

Donghyuck plopped down on the couch between Mark and Jaemin. He tried to put his arms around the older boy but he was immediately brushed off with a harsh: "Not now, Donghyuck." Donghyuck felt his hand being taken and squeezed tightly by Jaemin. The boy leaned on the younger's side, sulking visibly.

Mark had been pretty mean to Donghyuck these past weeks, the boys had no idea why. The older wasn't too into skinship, and Donghyuck understood that. But he had never been rude about it. Sometimes, on luckier days, Mark allowed the younger to cuddle him and be touchy with him, so Mark hadn't didn't really minded Donghyuck trying to hug him.

"No need to be rude about it," Donghyuck muttered, not even meaning for Mark to hear it. He frowned and put his head on Jaemin's shoulder.

"No need to try and touch me all the time then," Mark brashly said. Donghyuck decided not to argue back. Not yet, at least, seemed useless and he still wanted to be in at least some kind of a mood today. The boy changed his position to sit on Jaemin's lap and hugged the younger tightly. Jaemin did the same back and hummed quietly. Only the youngest knew how Donghyuck felt every time Mark had acted like a dick towards him, the boy had ranted to Jaemin every time and he had listened every time.

"I think I'll get going now, Nana... I've got a bunch of homework and I still want to go to sleep tonight. See you tomorrow in school?" Donghyuck said in a few minutes and unwillingly left the younger boy's lap. Mark seemed to not even react to it. Donghyuck kind of wanted to cry, all he wanted to know was why the older was acting the way he did and just make it all right but he wouldn't even look at the boy.

"Okay, Hyuckie," Jaemin got up and hugged the boy. Mark still didn't react, looking at his computer screen intensely. "See you tomorrow! Call me later?" the younger asked when he already knew that Donghyuck would definitely call him to rant.

"Yeah, I will. Then... bye, Nana," Donghyuck smiled slightly and almost left the room but stopped and continued, "see you tomorrow, Mark," Donghyuck said in a hopeful voice. The older wouldn't ignore him if he was spoken to directly, right?

"Yeah, bye," Mark said. That seemed worse than just ignorance. Donghyuck frowned and left. He decided not to call his mom to pick him up but rather walk and clear his head. Though that didn't really work because his thoughts were almost immediately interrupted by an annoying text message signal that he had never got around to changing.

 _nanananana:_  
idk what's wrong with mark but immediately as you left, he came back to his normal self??

 _hyuckles:_  
oh

 _nanananana:_  
do you want me to talk to him about it?

 _hyuckles:_  
no don't it's okay  
thank you nana  
i love you

 _nanananana:_  
i love you too  
see you tomorrow

 

+++

 

Donghyuck had had a lot of spontaneous decisions but it seemed like this one beat all of them. The boy had decided to put all of the dyes he could find in his hair little by little. The boy had to admit - he looked quite cute. As he always did but that day was special. He hoped that Mark would finally say something about it as well. It could be either positive or negative, Donghyuck didn't care at this point, he just hoped the boy would notice.

"Hey, guys!" Donghyuck came up to the lunch table that Jaemin and Mark were sitting at already. The boy had managed to put a smile on his face but it started fading a little bit when the older didn't even deem him worthy of his attention when he didn't even look up.

"Ah, Hyuck, what the heck did you do to your hair? It looks amazing," Jaemin said, smiling and trying to encourage Donghyuck. The boy appreciated it but it felt useless when all he wanted was Mark's validation. Sure, perhaps it was stupid and he shouldn't base everything on Mark's opinion but it... mattered to Donghyuck, as dumb as it might be.

"Thank you, Nana," Donghyuck sat down next to the younger boy and kissed his cheek. He saw Jaemin smile a little wider. Why couldn't he like Jaemin instead? "Mark, how do you like my new look?" Donghyuck asked. He had no idea for what reason he did so if the older boy wouldn't even care anyway but apparently, Donghyuck was a masochist. Mark finally looked up with a grumpy facial expression.

"Something's changed?" Mark asked nonchalantly. Donghyuck sighed inaudibly and frowned, then pointed at his hair. "Ah, that. A bit immature, I think," he said and returned to examining the biology book he had been reading when the younger first showed up. Donghyuck felt his hand being squeezed by Jaemin and then let go to continue eating.

"I guess so," Donghyuck muttered and lowered his gaze to his food but he felt too sick to eat right now. What the boy thought earlier about saying anything - positive or negative - was wrong, he would much rather have taken Mark's ignorance over the absolute rudeness he put in his words.

Donghyuck didn't want to eat his lunch anymore. He wanted to confront Mark before it was too late and their friendship wouldn't be saveable anymore. He blinked a few times and got up, leaving Jaemin confused.

"Mark, come with me, please," Donghyuck asked, looking at the older expectingly.

"I'm eating and reading, can't you see?" Mark replied, rolling his eyes. Donghyuck frowned slightly more.

"I can and I absolutely don't care. Come with me," Donghyuck took the older boy's bookbag, leaving him no choice but to follow. As Donghyuck was walking in front, he could be sure that Mark couldn't see the younger's tears that were pooling up in his eyes. He tried to blink them away but that didn't help at all. Donghyuck led them both into the school bathroom and hoped that no one would walk in on them.

"What do you want?" Mark asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Donghyuck clenched his jaw for a moment, determined not to cry in front of the older boy.

"Talk to you. Like a normal person," Donghyuck answered. He didn't actually know what to say exactly but his improvisation skills were good enough. The boy was supposed to speak from the heart anyway. "I don't know what I've done to you, Mark, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for whatever I might've done. Please tell me what it is, so I can apologize properly. I miss you being... you but recently our friendship's been fucked and I don't know how to make it better and..." the younger's voice cracked and he was on the verge of tears again.

"Donghyuck..." Mark started, not really knowing what to say. "Please don't cry," the older said as Donghyuck's lip started trembling. "It's not your fault, not at all," he attempted to clarify. Donghyuck looked down on the floor and tried to wipe away his tears but they just kept coming and the boy found himself sobbing in a few seconds.

"Then why?" he whispered just loud enough for Mark to hear. "Then why are you acting like this?" he sobbed, desperate to understand the answer to the question.

"I... Hyuckie, I'm sorry, please don't cry. I know I've been acting like nothing but a dick this whole time but it's because... it's better for both of us. I... like you a lot but it's not a good thing because you don't like me and I was trying to get the feelings to go away but I just ended up hurting you and that was so dumb, even for me. Please don't cry because of me," Mark explained. It made no sense to Donghyuck. Absolutely none.

"Why the fuck would you assume that?" Donghyuck tried to ask angrily but all that came out was a choked sob that sounded like the furthest thing from anger. "I've been crushing on you since grade five and never stopped but now I had to think that I did something wrong. That I... I don't know, somehow hurt you or did something wrong because you were acting like a moron but you were actually too much of a pussy to admit shit to yourself," he tried to offend Mark, tried to make him feel just as bad as he had felt when the older had been acting badly.

"I'm so sorry, Hyuck, I know what I did was shit and you deserved none of it," Mark said and slowly approached the younger boy as if looking for permission. Donghyuck felt too weak to step closer or to do anything so he just stood there and cried, put his hand in front of his mouth to not give out so much noise. In a few seconds, Mark hugged the younger boy and Donghyuck put his head in the crook of Mark's neck. He let out all of the tears that he had kept in for all the weeks and the older just held him tightly and whispered 'I'm sorry' to him once in a while or some other words that seemed calming.

"A-are we okay now?" Donghyuck stuttered, not even moving an inch. He didn't want to risk being let go again. The boy had missed the older so much these past weeks, he couldn't bear it.

"I was the one that fucked up, Hyuck," Mark admitted. "You should tell that to me..."

"We're okay," the younger whispered and hugged Mark tighter. "We're okay," he repeated more to himself than the older. "Is this too early to ask if we can go out someday? As in, on a date?" Donghyuck laughed faintly.

"That'd be perfect."


End file.
